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ARABLE

Tips on achieving healthy hedgerows on farm

Hedges are a defining feature of our countryside and one of the best habitats for wildlife on any farm.  Far more than being a boundary, they also support farm business…

LIVESTOCK

How feeding methane inhibitors can help cut emissions

Methane inhibitors supplied in feed rations could play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in ruminants. However, no one size fits all, advises Annie Williams, ruminant nutritionist and…

BUSINESS

Alternative land uses: Woodland creation - key points

Financial support for woodland creation and management in England is at record levels, so it could be the right time to consider this as an option. Talk of reducing sheep…

CARBON

Carbon markets: A beginner's guide

The UK’s carbon markets are growing, but there is confusion around the principles. Farmers Weekly asks CLA adviser Matthew Doran how they work. See also: Mineral rights - what farmers…

BUSINESS

Rural housing: Options to decarbonise and improve efficiency

From period farmhouses to farmworkers’ cottages, rural housing comes in many shapes and sizes, but they all share similar challenges when it comes to energy. Rural properties off the mains…

ARABLE

How 'mega-cluster' project benefits farming and nature

A project linking farmers and private investors across a 12,500ha area of Sussex is aiming to support nature recovery and food production on a landscape scale.  The Weald to Waves…

Case studies

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GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Benefits of sward lifting for profit and environment

A decade of sward lifting on a Cornish farm has prevented run-off after heavy rainfall, shortened the winter housing period and is helping soils to sequester carbon. A typical field…

CARBON

Pioneering arable farm sells carbon credits to top F1 team

A pioneering arable farm in Leicestershire has become the first farm in the UK to sell measured carbon credits to a range of buyers on the open market, including the…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How farmer uses biodynamic approach to establish crops

For the past two decades, Wiltshire mixed farmer Richard Gantlett has been using the power of biodynamic farming to grow crops completely free of chemicals and without the plough. With…

BIODIVERSITY

Wild grey partridge project promotes biodiversity and profit

A decade-long wild grey partridge project establishing cover crop field margins at a Scottish farming estate has proved an effective way to promote biodiversity and reap an economic return. Balgonie…

COVER CROPS

Cover crop trial reveals impact of grazing on nitrates

Since winning the title of Farmers Weekly Environmental Farmers of the Year, Emma and James Loder-Symonds have been busy trialling the impact of grazing cover crops. The cover crop trial…

CARBON

World’s first verified carbon-negative tree nursery founded

The world’s first verified carbon-negative tree nursery, founded by farmer’s son Renwick Drysdale in Scotland, is seeking to help meet surging demand for tree planting and habitat restoration projects. The…

Insights

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BIODIVERSITY

How beneficial insects can help nature and food production

It will come as little surprise to many to learn that a long-running study into insect populations in cereal crops – the Sussex Study – has shown a decline, linked…

ARABLE

Wetter farming: Growing typha for the construction industry

Field trials at the Horsey Estate in the Broads National Park are under way as part of a project investigating the growing of wetland crops to be used in the…

BUSINESS

How farms are generating income from the environment

Flood-prone land in west Norfolk that is difficult to farm productively is being turned into wetland – thanks to a mix of public funding and private investment. Using “blended finance”…

ENVIRONMENT

How industry is baselining emissions on farm

Baselining, the latest environmental buzzword, looks at emissions and carbon stores on individual farms, providing an initial marker against which progress can be measured. At a larger scale, across hundreds…

CARBON

Analysis: Can Welsh tree cover plans work for farmers?

One of the most repeated complaints about the Welsh government’s plans for future rural support is that farmers will be required to plant 10% of their land with trees and…

ARABLE

How arable farms can support farmland bird populations

A good, varied arable rotation, along with winter bird food stewardship options and a variety of hedges, will provide most of what farmland birds need to survive and thrive. Adding…

DAIRY

Revised methane method pegs dairy emissions 20% lower

Net carbon emissions from a sample of livestock farms fell significantly when analysed by a carbon methodology that accounts for biogenic methane. Distinguishing between biogenic (methane from ruminants) and fossil…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

How supply chain is meeting UN sustainable development goals

The UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) are rising up the agenda of businesses that buy from UK farmers and supply them with goods and services. Set out in 2015, they are…

Latest environment news

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ENVIRONMENT

Government plan gives push to onshore wind farms

The government unveiled its new Clean Power 2030 Action Plan on Friday (13 December) including ambitious targets for both wind and solar projects during the next five years, with land…

ENVIRONMENT

Environmental baselining project pushes forward on GB farms

Livestock and arable farms across England, Scotland, and Wales will begin taking carbon measurements in December as part of an industry-leading baselining project. The AHDB are working alongside Quality Meat…

BIODIVERSITY

Lottery grant to help northern farmers realise natural capital

A group supporting farmers in the north of England to capture income from natural capital markets has secured £100,000 to fund catchment-scale conservation work. Wensleydale & Swaledale Environmental Farmers (Swef)…

AIR AND WATER

Water companies offer premiums to Wildfarmed wheat growers

Four water companies in England are to pay regenerative wheat growers up to £200/ha, in some cases more, if they don’t use pesticides and adopt practices shown to reduce soil…

AIR AND WATER

Keep methane inhibitors in the toolbox, says Lords report

Adding methane inhibitors to ruminant rations has “significant potential” for mitigating emissions of this gas from agriculture and should be monitored closely, says a new House of Lords report published…

ARABLE

Birdsong recorders enable farmers to monitor biodiversity

An innovative project has been launched which uses birdsong to monitor wildlife, thereby enabling farmers to make informed decisions about sustainable practices. A collaboration between the UK Agri-Tech Centre and…

AIR AND WATER

Defra launches 'snap review' of autumn muckspreading

Alarm bells are ringing about the future of spreading organic manures in the autumn in England, after Defra launched a snap review of the statutory guidance used by the Environment…

CARBON

Welsh project seeks to make carbon-absorbing biochar

Converting slurry into carbon-absorbing biochar could help Welsh farmers meet new pollution control regulations. The concept of making biochar from manure is not new, but a project in Wales backed…

SHEEP

CT scan archive adds to methane emission data

Rumen measurements taken from CT scans can be used to predict methane emissions, studies by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) have shown. Sheep genetics researcher Dr Nicola Lambe said scans had…

ENVIRONMENT

Government launches Tree Planting Taskforce

The government has launched a taskforce to oversee the planting of millions of trees across the UK, delivering on a pledge made in Labour's manifesto. The Tree Planting Taskforce will…

ELM

Monbiot criticises government for environmental grant freeze

Environmental campaigner and writer George Monbiot has condemned the government’s decision to freeze crucial capital grants aimed at funding ecological restoration and sustainable farming practices. Defra has temporarily frozen 76…

ENVIRONMENT

Farmers trial livestock to trample invasive bracken

Farmers across Cumbria, Lancashire, and Yorkshire are experimenting with livestock to manage bracken, an invasive plant that threatens grazing land and biodiversity. The Pasture & Profit in Protected Landscapes initiative,…

Video

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AIR AND WATER

Video: FW Investigates - would dredging reduce flooding?

The past few months of relentless wet weather have again highlighted the pressing issue of how best to manage rivers and watercourses near farmland. Heavy rainfall events are becoming more…

NEWS

Video: Farmer defends his actions on River Lugg

A Herefordshire farmer who was jailed for causing damage to a protected river has defended his actions, insisting they helped prevent flooding to local properties and land. Several homes along…

SHEEP

Video: How a lowland farm is preparing for low-methane sheep

Results from the first UK farm to test methane emissions in sheep using portable accumulation chambers have shown they were producing on average about 20g/day of methane and 1.2kg/day of…